Taking Care of a Dental Restoration
It is very important to take proper care of any dental restoration to enable it will give you long, trouble-free service.
There is a reason why dentists refer to "fillings", crowns, veneers, etc as "restorations". All of them are things that dentists place to try to restore damaged teeth and oral structures. The restoration can never be as good as the original intact teeth (which is why prevention of dental disease in the first place is very important).
What you should do and what to expect
Generally you should avoid biting on the tooth where the restoration was placed for at least a few hours after the restoration has been placed. Having a drink is generally not a problem.
Subsequent to that you should be able to use the tooth normally. We need to caution however that you generally should not chew on or break very hard objects with your restoration (example biting on crab shells, nut shells or ice, opening bottle caps, tearing open plastic bags). These are things you should not do with your natural teeth, though unfortunately many people do and you certainly should not expect to do them with a restoration.
Maintain good oral hygiene. Flossing in particular is often neglected and can lead to new caries (tooth decay) forming at the areas between the teeth. This is very important because, while we take every effort to make sure the shape of the restorations facilitates cleaning, the shape can never be as good as the original tooth and neither can the surface be as smooth as the original enamel especially at the margin of the restoration. This represents the weak point of any restoration.
Maintain regular dental visits preferably every 6 months. This permits regular monitoring of your restorations so that some (unfortunately not all) problems can be detected early and appropriate countermeasures instituted.
Complications or problems that can arise
If any of these problems arise please contact our office immediately
There is a reason why dentists refer to "fillings", crowns, veneers, etc as "restorations". All of them are things that dentists place to try to restore damaged teeth and oral structures. The restoration can never be as good as the original intact teeth (which is why prevention of dental disease in the first place is very important).
What you should do and what to expect
Generally you should avoid biting on the tooth where the restoration was placed for at least a few hours after the restoration has been placed. Having a drink is generally not a problem.
Subsequent to that you should be able to use the tooth normally. We need to caution however that you generally should not chew on or break very hard objects with your restoration (example biting on crab shells, nut shells or ice, opening bottle caps, tearing open plastic bags). These are things you should not do with your natural teeth, though unfortunately many people do and you certainly should not expect to do them with a restoration.
Maintain good oral hygiene. Flossing in particular is often neglected and can lead to new caries (tooth decay) forming at the areas between the teeth. This is very important because, while we take every effort to make sure the shape of the restorations facilitates cleaning, the shape can never be as good as the original tooth and neither can the surface be as smooth as the original enamel especially at the margin of the restoration. This represents the weak point of any restoration.
Maintain regular dental visits preferably every 6 months. This permits regular monitoring of your restorations so that some (unfortunately not all) problems can be detected early and appropriate countermeasures instituted.
Complications or problems that can arise
- Changes in the bite
- Fracture of the restoration
- fracture of the tooth structure around the restoration
- secondary (recurring) caries (tooth decay)
- changes in colour of the tooth/restoration
- Sensitivity of the teeth
If any of these problems arise please contact our office immediately